Thank you for entrusting us with the care of your pet.
Watkins and Tasker Vets is a three-centre practice caring for pets across North Somerset, with sites in Portishead, Yatton, and Nailsea.
All our practices are equipped to a high standard and can diagnose and treat most clinical conditions. Portishead has a hospitalisation facility, and animals requiring inpatient care are treated at this practice.
We offer a 24-hour emergency service in addition to our normal daytime service. This can be accessed by phoning our normal number and following the instructions on the recorded message.
Below our Terms and Conditions of Business:
Fees are made up of a combination of our professional time and cost of provision of goods or medications.
While the care of your pet is the most important thing, we know cost is very important to many clients, and we endeavour to be as transparent as possible. We are able to provide an estimate for any inpatient care or high-cost outpatient care. We endeavour to keep you updated should costs alter significantly from the initial estimate provided.
Payment is made at the point of treatment in almost every case. If you are unable to afford treatment, it is your responsibility to inform us of this before the consultation or treatment is started, or as soon as you become aware that the costs have risen beyond your ability to pay. We will never withhold first aid treatment to an animal that is suffering but will discuss the options available with you. We do not charge for emergency treatment of wildlife.
Where a pet is insured, many fees paid to us can be claimed back from your insurers, subject to any excesses and exclusions stated in your policy. Alternatively, for an administrative fee (which in most cases cannot be reclaimed from insurers), we can ask your insurance company to pay us directly. In this case you only need to pay us your excesses and the administration fee. We will need to see your insurance policy before we agree to a “direct claim”.
In a very few special circumstances, charities may contribute to costs of treatment. Charities rarely agree to pay for treatment already given, so it is important to organise this before treatment is started.
If you do not pay for treatment as required, we will take whatever action we consider appropriate to recover our fees, which may involve further costs for which you will be liable, and we may refuse further treatment (other than emergency first-aid treatment to relieve suffering).
In most cases your pet will receive better treatment in the clinic than can be offered in your home. In the clinic, the full range of equipment and handling facilities are available. House visits are undertaken only when necessary and are charged for. The only exception to this is end of life care. We feel it is less stressful for both you and your pet if they are allowed to be euthanised at home. When visits are for this purpose, a reduced visit fee is charged.
All animals need to be regularly examined for us to be able to supply prescription medications long term. The length of time between examinations in this case is determined on a case-by-case basis, but to assure the welfare of your pet, and to comply with legislation and professional guidelines, will be no longer than six months.
Written prescriptions for use in pharmacies other than our own are available on request. These can only be supplied after a clinical assessment of the animal by the prescribing veterinary surgeon. A prescription may not be appropriate if an animal is an inpatient or requires immediate treatment, and a written prescription fee applies.
We have a wealth of experience and special interests within the Practice. We are happy to offer second opinions for animals registered with us and even those that are not. If you are not registered with us, we will need to contact your original vet for your pet’s medical history and we would recommend a double appointment (40 minutes) so we have sufficient time to meet you and your pet. Please discuss your requirements with us so we can advise you of the appropriate charges.
If your pet is currently under treatment with us, but you would like a second opinion, please do not hesitate to ask. If we cannot offer further expertise from one of our own vets, we can direct you to the appropriate specialist, and arrange the appointment for you. Most specialist vets will not accept an appointment request from a pet owner – it must come via the veterinary surgeon.
How we collect, store and use client data complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and is detailed in our privacy policy
Should you have concerns about any aspect of our services, please contact us. We welcome such conversations as they are an opportunity both to help you and to improve our service. Our full complaints procedures can be supplied on request or downloaded from here
We know you care for your pets immensely as do we, which is why we offer this voucher. Having regular health checks allows us to spot and treat conditions early which could otherwise cause distressing problems for your pet and expense for you.
Neutering is a routine, everyday procedure carried out by vets, but for pet owners it can be an understandably worrying time as it may be the first time your pet has been away from you and their home. It is also often the first time they have had an anaesthetic or surgical procedure. We are confident of the high quality of our care here, so we are placing a limited Neutering Wound Guarantee on our routine neutering surgeries. As far as we are aware, no other vet offers this complete peace of mind.
We have total confidence in our surgical techniques and post-operative care, so we give you this promise:
In the highly unlikely event that your pet has any wound complications as a direct result of their surgery, no matter how minor, you will not be charged for any treatment prescribed or undertaken by us to correct things. This guarantee is limited financially to the monetary value of the operation your pet undertook.
Our TopStart puppy and kitten packages are only valid for pets that are under a year old. No refunds can be given if any elements of the full package are not required. There will be separate terms and conditions for the five-week free insurance cover note which we are not party to but are between you and the insurance company
Our Senior Dog and Cat packages are only valid for pets that are over the suggested ages stated, unless agreed with the Vet. One package may be taken per year, per pet. No refunds can be given if the full package is not required, and the price does not include additional treatment or follow up tests that may be required due to the findings. The package may or may not be covered by your insurance, dependent on several factors such as whether the pet is unwell, or a diagnosis made as a result. The 25% introductory offer is applicable when stated within the Practice.
Please ensure that you keep your contact details and communication preference updated with our Reception Team.
Our team are able to offer further assistance regarding your pet – please do not hesitate to speak to us.
Where possible we prescribe medicines licensed for the animal species and disease to be treated. However, there may not be a veterinary licensed product available. In these cases, the vet may prescribe a product licensed for a different species, a different disease or for human use. Occasionally, we may import a medicine licensed in another country or use an external company to manufacture a “special” medicine. This is called “off license” use.
Many off license medicines have been commonly used to treat animals and have documented dose rates and safety. Our use of off licence medication is always based upon our knowledge of their use, their safety in animals and with their best interests in mind. These medicines are only used when they are necessary, and no licensed alternative exists.
In these situations, we may ask owners to give their written consent for these medications to be prescribed for their pets. Sucralfate and Chloramphenicol eye drops are common examples of human medicines we prescribe to our patients.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to discuss with us.